September 7, 1998: A massive thunderstorm hits the Rochester area, causing more than 100,000 people to lose power.

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Excerpts are below from a Sept. 8, 1998 Democrat and ChronicleSeptember 7, 1998: A massive thunderstorm hits the Rochester area, causing more than 100,000 people to lose power. There were only a small handful of injuries reported, but the storm, which hit hardest in Fairport, Pittsford, Perinton, Brockport, Chili and Ogden, left many without power for several days.

story by staff writers Brian Kohn, Jay Tokasz, and Corydon Ireland:

Wind gusts that reached 89 mph snapped telephone poles and century-old trees like toothpicks, cutting power and phone service to thousands.

...

In less than a half-hour, the storm passed. But the damage left behind could take weeks to repair.

Buildings and cars were pulverized by scores of trees and more than 150 utility poles that toppled.

In Macedon, Wayne County, Jess Olschewske and Tom De Renzo wondered how much of the damage to their auto shop and gas station on Pittsford-Palmyra Road would be covered by insurance.High winds tore off the shop's roof, sending it through a McDonald's Restaurant sign next door. The shop's windows were blown out and its walls buckled.Olschewske, who lives in Canandaigua, found out about the destruction about 8 a.m., when his son stopped by."He said, `We've got a bit of a problem at the station - it's not there anymore,' " said Olschewske....And at Brockport High School, officials are still looking for up to a quarter of the building's roof. "I live about two blocks away and there's a big piece of it on my front yard," said Allan Berry, personnel director for the Brockport Central School District.